'Peacefield'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two-storey farmhouse consisting of a formal late Georgian style two-storey hip-roofed front block of c.1840, and a long low two-storey vernacular return -the original house- of 1788. The property is set within spacious, partially wooded grounds at the end of a long drive, (originally a public road), off Carbet Road, about two miles north of Portadown.

The house is roughly T-shaped, with the long return lying on an E-W axis and the front block to the E end. At the W end the return merges into an outbuilding, whilst to the south side of the front block is a recently added conservatory. To the E is a forecourt, (entered from the N), beyond which is a large lawn fringed with mature trees, whilst to the W is a collection of outbuildings, some of which are arranged around a farm yard.

The front elevation follows a typical three windows wide Georgian style composition. To the centre of the ground floor is a broad elliptical headed doorway opening with panelled timber double door, sidelights with decorative tracery and panelled aprons and a ‘radial’ fanlight. The door and sidelights are encased with pilaster-like panelled timber jambs which rise to a moulded cornice underneath the fanlight. The door is reached via two generously-proportioned splayed stone steps, (which look like relatively recent replacements), and directly over the fanlight is a projecting period style lamp.

To the left of the doorway is a flat-arched window opening with a painted stome cill and a horn-less timber sash frame with Georgian panes (6/6). To the right is an identical window with three more to the first floor.

The ground floor of the S face of the front block is now completely covered by the conservatory, a timber framed structure with a canted end to the E and a gable end to the W. One of the two original ground floor window openings, (which is identical to those described above), survives, whilst the other has been converted to a doorway (linking the main house to the conservatory).

To the N face of the front block there are two symmetrically arranged windows to the ground floor with two directly in line to the first floor, all as front. Set between all four windows is a projecting lamp, also as front.

Owing to the size of the return, only a small section of the W face of the front block is exposed. This face appears to have only one window, (as front), set to the right on the first floor.

The N face of the long rear return has an irregular arrangement of openings. To the far left on the ground floor there are three windows with a doorway set between the first and second of these. The doorway has a modern timber and glazed door whilst the first three windows are similar to those belonging to the front block only shorter. The window to the right is much smaller, set at a high level and filled with what appears to be a fixed timber frame with Georgian-like panes. Directly above the doorway is a small slate plaque with the inscription ‘D Ruddell 1788’ several naïve depictions of ‘heraldic’ motifs- wreaths, a star and a reindeer. To the first floor there are four relatively widely spaced windows, the first three similar to the first three on the ground floor, although the frame to the second window has been recently replaced with one with thicker glazing bars. The fourth window to the far right is very narrow and appears to have a plain timber sash frame (although this could not be seen clearly). Much of the western half of this face of the return is obscured by tall trees.

The S face of the return has an even more ‘haphazard’ arrangement of openings. To far left is a broad doorway, with timber sheeted door, directly above which is a small boarded up window opening. To the right of the doorway is an external stone stair which leads to an upper level doorway with timber sheeted door. To the right of the stair is a large flat-arched vehicle entrance, with a timber sheeted double door. This opening was probably originally narrower. To right again is a small window with a fixed timber frame with Georgian-like panes. Next is a relatively large single-storey lean-to projection, with a doorway with timber sheeted door to left, and a wide window opening, with tripartite timber sash frame (4/2, 6/3, 4/2), to right. Next to the projection is a small elliptical-arched window with a fixed timber frame with Georgian panes and ‘spoke’ tracery, whilst to right of this is a doorway with relatively recent half-glazed timber door. To the first floor -right of the upper level doorway- there are five windows of various sizes. The first and fourth windows are largely indentical, with 6/6 timber sash frames. The second window is very small and has a 6/3 timber sash frame, as does the slightly larger fifth one to far right. The somewhat squat third window has a fixed timber frame with six Georgian-like panes.

The façade of the entire building is finished in roughcast and painted, however the reveals are largely finished in smooth render. The roof of the front block is hipped, whilst the return is gable-ended, with all sections slated. The roof of the front block, which overhangs slightly, has two centrally positioned rendered chimneystacks, with another to the W side (near the eaves); there are also three small symmetrically arranged skylights to this side of the roof. The return has a large rendered chimneystack to the E of centre of the ridge, with another further to W, set close to the eaves. Cast-iron rw goods.

The outbuildings to the rear (W) of the house are largely grouped around a concrete-covered yard. The buildings themselves are single to one and a half storey gabled structures with roughcast facades and (mainly) slated roofs. They have flat-arch vehicle and pedestrian doorways of various sizes, mostly filled with timber sheeted doors, and flat-arch windows, mainly filled with replacement (c.1970s) timber frames. Some of these openings may not be original; some of the vehicle doorways, in particular, appear to have been enlarged. To the W side the yard is enclosed by a relatively tall rubble wall. Beyond the yard, to the SE, there is a small freestanding outbuilding, which has been enlarged in recent years and now contains two garages. To the immediate E of this there is a small enclosed formal garden with a pond- another recent creation.

Historical information

According to the present owners, the ‘D Ruddell’ on the 1788 datestone on the south side of Peacefield, was one David Ruddell, a descendant of a French soldier who had been granted land in Ballynacor as a reward for service in the Williamite army in the 1690s. As the datestone suggests, the original house consisted of all or part of the long return, however, if the Ruddells had been here at least ninety years previous to this one might have expected a house of a much earlier date. In this case the date of 1788 may simply refer to the extending of an existing dwelling, perhaps the raising of the roof. The vernacular appearance of this section of the building would appear to support this idea, however, it is also possible that the original family home was on a different site and that the return is indeed wholly 1788.

Whatever the case, the return is shown on the OS map of 1835 and recorded in the valuation of the following year as a relatively old slated house in the hands of David Ruddell, measuring 45ft x 20 x 13½ with an outbuilding of 54 x 20 x 13, all with a rateable value of £6-15-0. Writing in 1999, C.E.B. Brett, (who appears to have gathered his information from the owners), states that this is the same David of the 1788 datestone.

On the revised OS map of 1860 the house is shown as present and marked ‘Peacefield’, with dimensions listed in the valuation of 1862 as 12yrds x 7 x 2½ (storeys) for the front block, 7 x 11 x 2, 6 x 2 x 2 and 6 x 2 x 1 for the dwelling section of the return, with slated outbuildings of 18 x 7 x 2, 11 x 7 x 1, 4 x 7 x 1 and 7 x 5 x 2. A David Ruddell is noted as the occupant, but, according to Brett, this was the son of the David of first valuation, but that it was the father who added the formal front section some time between the date of the first valuation (1836) and his death in 1843. The owners, for their part, profess no knowledge of the exact date of this part of building, but c.1840 does not appear unreasonable, particularly since the valuers of 1862 appear to have regarded it as at least twenty years old at that point.

David Ruddell died in 1896, with the house recorded as ‘vacant’ in 1901. The valuations tell us that a Selina Hanna ‘occupied some rooms till November 1903’ with a Letitia Wilson listed as resident in 1904. Two years later it is marked as vacant again, however in 1910 Letitia Wilson acquired freehold from the Manchester estate and remained at Peacefield for the next ten years. After this it was acquired by Thomas D. Gibson.

In 1966 Peacefield was bought from the Gibsons by the Craigavon Development Commission tio facilitate the building of the M12 motorway nearby. The present owner began renting the property in 1967, finally acquiring it some decades later, when the Commission was wound up.

The conservatory was added c.1995.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/2/6 OS map, County Armagh sheet 6, with valuation
references (1835-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/1B/222 First valuation, Seagoe parish (1836)
3 PRONI VAL/2A/2/6A OS map, County Armagh sheet 6, with valuation references (1860-62)
4 PRONI VAL/2B/2/19B Second valuation, Seagoe parish (1862)
5 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7A Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1864-78)
6 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7B Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1879-91)
7 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7C Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1892-1906)
8 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7D Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1907-19)
9 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7E Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1920-29)

Secondary sources
1 Oram, Richard, et al., ‘Historic Buildings…Craigavon’ (Belfast, 1970), part III, p.6
2 Brett, C.E.B., ‘Buildings of County Armagh’ (Belfast, 1999), p.162
3 Information supplied by the owner (July 2004)

Other references
1 EHS HB14/04/002 First survey record card (31st July 1978)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two-storey farmhouse consisting of a formal late Georgian style two-storey hip-roofed front block of c.1840, and a long low two-storey vernacular return -the original house- of 1788. This house is a good, relatively well preserved example of how many modest country dwellings assumed 'grander' pretensions in the mid 1800s with the addition of a formal front block and the demotion of the original house to a return.